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hey does anyone have any advice on being a dungeon master, its my first time being one since I started playing three years ago?

What system or game are you playing ?

Generally : know the rules as best you can, but don't get too caught up with being 100% accurate. If something is more fun than the official way then go for it.

Aside from that.... know your players : there's no point writing some serious high drama that is based around betrayal and deceit if your players actually just want to crack jokes and blow stuff up. Similarly if your players love intrigue and interplay it is possibly a bad idea to dump them into THE DUNGEON OF DOOM. All that said, every now and again a brisk change of pace helps keep things fresh and rewards the better players.

im using 3.5 edition rules for d+d since the new edition is so expensive.

thank you.

Ok. Key thing is flexability. Your players will ALWAYS derail your most detailed plans. Need them to go left? They will go right. Want the baddie to live? They will kill him. Allways allways roll with the punches. Don't let them see you sweat is also important. If they do something you did not forsee try to think "Ok. What would my bad guys friends do? Family?". I never try and punish my players...but its important that you maintain some semblance of control.

Like..don't let them run rampant through a town killing and stealing.

Solved: You might mention that all of a suden (make them roll a perception test which you tell them they pass..even if they roll a 1) a town guard is seen down the street...or if theyre trying to kill someone...they Captain of the Guard.

I know thats alot of rambling but the key thing is this:

Get an idea of what you want to do. Get an idea of what your players want their character to acomplish (talk to them one on one outside of the game) and try to mesh it together.

Roll up a dozen or so actual player characters and use them as your baddies. Once you do that..never throw them out. Always save your players dead characters. Always do an entirely new character sheet each level. I know its a pain but if you get a nice charcater generator program this is a snap. With a few tweeks all of these can be rused over and over again. Need a minion for your boss who is lvl 8??? Pull out your old Fighter who was level 3 and then duplicate it 4 times...done.

Hope that helps.

One of the most important things is talking to your players about the kind of game you want to run, and being involved in the creation of the characters. Try and get them all together and have a chat about why they're working together, who they are, have they met, what kind of game they like, what they don't like.

Remember that fun is more important than anything else.

Don't railroad your players or fudge the rules too often- if they kill a major villain too early, shrug and get on with it. your players will love you for it.

Go with a genre and theme that you are comfortable with. I like running horror/black humour games, my recent foray into running a swashbuckling game didn't go great. Similarly, I prefer slightly steampunk/modern settings, and find high fantasy hard to run. Know what you and your players like and you're well ahead of the game.

Also, an invaluable tool is a list of random NPC names and roles so when they ask the name of shopkeeper #146 you don't miss a beat before answering and generating a persona. Same with tavern names and stuff. I like working in an established setting because it's less work (though I will alter bits and add in my own twists), you may prefer to make your own setting.

If you can borrow a 4th edition DMG it really does have lots of good advice for budding GMs.

Oh and I nearly forgot: 3.5 has several serious rules issues. Consider limiting the splat books players are allowed access to or you could be in trouble. Stuff like the orb spells really break the game at high levels.

Good call Boss...oh and don't Grapple in 3.5...just don't. You and your players will be much happier...

ok thank you for all your help

all of my friends charaters died last campaign while they were fighting an anceint white dragon and being really stupid at the same time

this is a rough draft so i dont have any checks yet. let me know what you think

for the first part i have the pc traveling from below the empire's map heading towards a port called Condoga
before they arrive they they are ambushed by a full warband of level 1 goblins when half of the goblins are dead they will attempt to retreat, if more than half are killed they surrender, they then answer any questions asked about any more ambushes

if the characters continue to port condoga they are attacked every 5 miles by 8 goblins, about 4 times but if they go to a town called sisari they are not ambushed.

when they arrive in town it is dusk and a watchman greets them he questions them breifly and calls over another watchman to take them to one of three inns

green wyvern inn
blue moon tavern
iron door inn

once they arrive at the inn the watchman will not let them leave.

if they choose to attack the watchman all 30 watchmen enter the fight after round two three rounds later they are arrested

if they choose to stay they can buy a meal and a room for the night. they can ask the inn keeper questions about the town


the town is attacked by a warband and a gang of goblins early in the morning, the inn keeper wakes them up and asks them to help the town if they do he will give them three days of free lodging and meals. if the dont he throws them out of the inn(cannot be avoided)

if they are thrown out they are attacked by a gang of goblins three minutes after.

if they agree the inn keeper shows them which way the battle is at is.

after the battle given the towns folk win the town holds a meeting to discuss what to do with the goblins. if the heros dont volunteer a watchman that was at the battle will recommend them. the adventurers are offerd each a horse, provisions for one week and their choice of a suit of armor or a weapon. if they refuse they are then offered the same as above except it is both a suit of armor and a weapon. if they still refuse the towns folk throw them out of town and the heros are attacked by 10 goblins.

if they accept the towns folk show the heros the general direction to the caves that the goblins are living in.
the heros are attacked outside of the cave bey 10 goblins the goblins retreat if half are killed and surrender if more than half are killed. the heros can ask them questions about why they are attacking the town. the goblins explain that their are orcs that are making them do it and they kill any one that refuses. the goblins offer "many shiny things" if they kill the orcs
the cave has 5 chambers the first is completely empty except for goblin corpses
the second has 8 goblins in it they fight to the death
the third has 2 orcs in it with three dire wolves
the fourth has 4 goblins with one worg mount and a orc with two dire wolves
the fifth has a level 4 orc with a dire wolf three level 2 orcs and two level 2 goblins with worg mounts

the reward from the goblins is 10 gp, 8 sp, and 30 cp

i dont have the NPC's stats yet but what do you think?
do you think the rewards arent enough or do you think it should be less?
is the adventure as a whole a good story line so far?

Let me ask, what classes are your PCs? This game might not go so well past lvl 5 if you have a Druid/Wizard/Cleric with a party containing a Fighter/Bard/Sorcerer, the power level gap between them just becomes astornomical by lvl 11. I'd suggest just investing in 4th edition. It will really make life much easier on a new DM.

i dont have 120 dollars to spend right now im only 16 and i just lost my job.
so i dont see me getting the new rules any time soon.

what did you think about it?

there is a dwarf fighter, an elf cleric, a human paladin, and a halfling rogue.
for some reason those are the only ones my friends will play. i prefer playing dragonborn or tiefling.

4th edition is much better.
I'd agree that Druid/Wizard/Cleric run the risk of becoming overpowered. In my last game, a wizard with a battlebelt was capable of dishing out 90 D6 of damage in a standard action, and then using his battle belt to do more.


As to your plot, it's pretty basic but nothing wrong with that.
Try throwing in some other monsters of similar CR with the goblins to spice things up- like for example, a couple of tame wolves or worgs, or a hobgoblin or bugbear.

gamefreak wrote:i dont have 120 dollars to spend right now im only 16 and i just lost my job.
so i dont see me getting the new rules any time soon.

what did you think about it?

there is a dwarf fighter, an elf cleric, a human paladin, and a halfling rogue.
for some reason those are the only ones my friends will play. i prefer playing dragonborn or tiefling.

You could slowly buy into the new rule set but this thread isn't about that. Sorry, I'll drop it.

Well Dragonborn and Tiefling in 3.5 are overpowered when you stack them up against the other races. Your party looks ok except for two things. The fighter will slowly be outclassed by the cleric and the Paladin might have issues with lawful/good unless you aren't strict on it (don't be). The Rogue will probably due well until things start having DR or a lot of undead/constructs start showing up. I think other stuff is immune to Sneak Attack in 3.5 but I can't remember.

Actually, on reading it, it doesn't sound like you're giving your players a whole lot of choice. It seems very "yes or no". Instead of having them be lead by the nose (by watchmen or innkeepers) why not let them explore on their own, and have a bit more freedom?
It'll take some quick thinking on your part, but your players will have more fun!
Instead of thinking of the game as a story that goes in a line, think of it as a sandbox. the players can go anywhere, but your villains are still going to go ahead with their plans, so it may be better or worse if they don't intervene!
Do you get what I'm talking about?

Here's the thinng that I have learned after going from Noob to old hand in a very short time.

Make a bad @$$ setting... make 3 super amazingly Bad@$$ settings.

Randomly have monsters and people who give quests.

Throw in a few very cinematic moments.

The large (did i mention LARGE.... like HUGE) setting will have your characters wandering around for several ( one ) session without getting bored. If they do get bored move on to the next setting. Don't plan too much except for the basic groups of villains that you will throw at them, as well as the basic plot.

Cultist

Str12
Dex14
Con 8
Wis 10
Int 12
Cha 8

AC 13

AB +2

HP 5

CR 1/2

Bam... now you have your staple mob guy...

Also, don't be afraid to bend the rules, just make sure that the way you are bending them equals out as far as treasure, character ability, or experience is concerned.

gamefreak wrote:ok thank you for all your help

all of my friends charaters died last campaign while they were fighting an anceint white dragon and being really stupid at the same time

this is a rough draft so i dont have any checks yet. let me know what you think

for the first part i have the pc traveling from below the empire's map heading towards a port called Condoga
before they arrive they they are ambushed by a full warband of level 1 goblins when half of the goblins are dead they will attempt to retreat, if more than half are killed they surrender, they then answer any questions asked about any more ambushes

if the characters continue to port condoga they are attacked every 5 miles by 8 goblins, about 4 times but if they go to a town called sisari they are not ambushed.

when they arrive in town it is dusk and a watchman greets them he questions them breifly and calls over another watchman to take them to one of three inns

green wyvern inn
blue moon tavern
iron door inn

once they arrive at the inn the watchman will not let them leave.

if they choose to attack the watchman all 30 watchmen enter the fight after round two three rounds later they are arrested

if they choose to stay they can buy a meal and a room for the night. they can ask the inn keeper questions about the town


the town is attacked by a warband and a gang of goblins early in the morning, the inn keeper wakes them up and asks them to help the town if they do he will give them three days of free lodging and meals. if the dont he throws them out of the inn(cannot be avoided)

if they are thrown out they are attacked by a gang of goblins three minutes after.

if they agree the inn keeper shows them which way the battle is at is.

after the battle given the towns folk win the town holds a meeting to discuss what to do with the goblins. if the heros dont volunteer a watchman that was at the battle will recommend them. the adventurers are offerd each a horse, provisions for one week and their choice of a suit of armor or a weapon. if they refuse they are then offered the same as above except it is both a suit of armor and a weapon. if they still refuse the towns folk throw them out of town and the heros are attacked by 10 goblins.

if they accept the towns folk show the heros the general direction to the caves that the goblins are living in.
the heros are attacked outside of the cave bey 10 goblins the goblins retreat if half are killed and surrender if more than half are killed. the heros can ask them questions about why they are attacking the town. the goblins explain that their are orcs that are making them do it and they kill any one that refuses. the goblins offer "many shiny things" if they kill the orcs
the cave has 5 chambers the first is completely empty except for goblin corpses
the second has 8 goblins in it they fight to the death
the third has 2 orcs in it with three dire wolves
the fourth has 4 goblins with one worg mount and a orc with two dire wolves
the fifth has a level 4 orc with a dire wolf three level 2 orcs and two level 2 goblins with worg mounts

the reward from the goblins is 10 gp, 8 sp, and 30 cp

i dont have the NPC's stats yet but what do you think?
do you think the rewards arent enough or do you think it should be less?
is the adventure as a whole a good story line so far?

The bones are there.

Few points : How do the players know about/discover they will be safe in this town of Sisari ?

I'd make the attacks at least seem a bit more random, perhaps make it seem the goblins are actively hunting someone-- the party will have to assume it is them if you play it right.Be carfeul in case they capture and interrogate one of the gobbos though !

The goblins have some motivation, but with those sort of numbers it seems to me that they would stand a reasonable chance of beating the orcs in a fight, the orcs, whilst bad ass enough to challenge the players, seem to lack the capacity to dominate the goblins.

Unless perhaps the actual orc leader isn't there at the moment ? He's off gathering more goblins under his control... for whatever his evil masterplan is.

right now the orc leader is on his way to the orc stronghold just south of dragons' teeth ridge, he has left 30 orcs at the caves but only 6 fought the adventurers the rest left the cave to go to another one just south west of the original cave, the orc leader is going to get another fifty orcs and they are going to raid the goblin outpost just northwest of the giants' plataue and east of the grey marshes.the orcs plan to bring the captured goblins down to the cave to mount a massive assult on sisari, and afterwards on port condoga.

ill post more here later after i write more.

two questions that still have yet to be answered:

but do you think that the rewards are enough, too much, or not enough?
how much xp should i give them for the mini adventure?

reds8n:

the adventurers do not know that sisari is safe or not.

i think that i will have the orcs acting through the goblins to get back at the blacksmith's son for killing 10 of their raiding party, and the orcs ordered the goblins to attack all travellers and take all the valuables so they can be ready to fight the town again.

da boss:

i never said they had to go to the fight, i just said the inn keeper points them in the right direction, it's totally up to them if they go or not.

Why would they go there then ?

to help the towns folk, they could be heros or they could leave them to defend themselves.

No, you misunderstand me : why when they are travelling along are they going to divert to this town, they need some reason to actually GO there.

Or do you mean they just happen to travel through it on the way ?

ill see if i can scan in my map so you can see it. i have to edit out the grid lines though.

here is the entire map
the pc enter the map on the east road the one that leads directly to sisari


this is the north east part of the map


this is the north west part


this is the south east pat of the map


this is the south west part of the map

i think the map is too empty what do you guys think?

Pics are broken links...could you check your links again?

Great ways to get players to go where you want them to:

Noble offers large cash reward for...

- Orc Warlord's Shield (because he collects shields, obviously, and may have a nice magical one to offer as a reward too)

- Rescuing Daughter (or remains - offer a very large reward with no dead/alive condition. Returning with deceased daughter leads to reduced reward, and moral action is up to the players...)

- Peace in town (Raids are troubling his income, or he may be a genuinely nice guy)

Bard's Tale...

- Orc Chieftain has powerful shield of legend, yada yada... Bards always exaggerate anyway.

- Orcs have a beautiful girl in captivity. Your players may see this as opportunity in itself, if glory is not enough.

- Glory, glory, glory! Bard offers to accompany and document your heroic rescue/assault/liberation - gives you a chance to drag an irritating NPC along, if you are so inclined. Kill him off as you see fit.

No Choice...

- A goblin or similar filcher steals a PC's treasured item during a fight with raiding orcs... make it something he/she'll insist on retrieving. This should help in the very least.

- The good 'ol "You all get clubbed over the head in your sleep and you wake up in an Orcish prison". Not clever - don't actually so this under any situation, but you get the idea. Any situation that leads to the player's captivity can make for an interesting stealthy escape (with beautiful girl or stolen shield), or bloody fight from the inside-out. Consider a pit-trap, or other way to 'capture' the players, although don't make it inevitable. Give them a good couple of hours to attempt escape before anyone arrive to 'liberate' them.

- "I have a cunning plan"; involve an NPC who has, say a vial of poison that would take out the whole tribe if put into their water supply. Sounds too easy to be true.... and it's up to you to make sure it ISN'T that easy.

---------------------------------------------------

There ya go. Hope any of this helps.

yea i had to go and buy an adventure because mine wasn't ready.

lets see if the images work this time


entire map of Narisvadador


north east of the map


north west of the map


south east of the map


south west of the map

sorry if the lines are a little choppy the entire map was done by hand over 2 weeks ago so there is some fading too.

i think its a little empty what about you guys?

Empty is good good good. Unless it's critical to the story, or the a major point in that night's session, your players shouldn't know any better than you what's going to jump out. Makes things interesting for you as well.

10 miles per square is great - most people stick things together too much. Write up, or get your hands on, some random encounter tables, and use them whenever the travel gets boring. This fills out your world nicely, if say the enounter was a caravan, make it into a caravan route - then it would make sense if there was a raider encampment somewhere along that road, or a clump of hobgoblins behind the next rock! You can then add your raider encampment to the map. The lord of the nearest tower may or may not be aware of them, may or may not care... etc. It makes for a great, organic game when you just let the world unfold instead of planning too hard ahead. Try hard to give your characters some motivation, but then just see where it takes them.


My current campaign world is a while pile of islands, with a prominent volcano in the middle, different factions on each main landmass, barbarians on the distant mainland... (it's a little bit Japanese themed)... I did a watercolour map for that.

Maps are great. Look up maps of, say, English villages from around 1600 - they're easy enough to find, and get an idea of where to situate industry, residential areas, town centres... get a feel for it, and you can knock up a town in no time. There's also a great downloadable random name generator online that I used to use all of the time... EBON or something.

i have a list of some of the places on the map and have the general monsters i am going to throw at the adventurers

port condoga:
gang of humans
sorcerer
undead


sisari
goblins
orcs
bugbears
hobgoblins
worgs
dire wolves
lizardfolk

quirm
guild of assassins
dragon in human form

modcas
narisvadador army
dragon in human form

port velantir
pirates

karzas(keep)
dwarf defenders

karzas(mines)
trolls
goblins
hobgoblins
bugbears

sargasta:
dwarf defenders
dragon born

barbarian villiage:
barbarian tribe(of course)

orc stronghold
orcs
dire wolves
trolls
goblins
hobgoblins
bugbears

goblin outpost
goblins
worgs
dire wolves

it isnt all of them but i will post some later

can you guys send me some links for some FREE online tools for d+d this is getting very tiresome and all the ones i find are for either users only and it costs $10 a month or the app costs $5

My advice to all new DM's as well as serious players is to beg, borrow, or buy the Campaign and Catacombs book. It is an older, blue book, pre3rd that has a great section on knowing what your players are looking for in a game and how to implement it.

Thalor

What sort of 'tools' are you looking for, exactly?

a random encounter generator a npc generator, an item generator, a chest generators. just any thing that will make my job a little easier.


oh and i need them compatible with 3.5e

thanks

Random Encounter Generator: Make a table, as I said before, and roll a d100. For example, for Sisari you listed:
goblins
orcs
bugbears
hobgoblins
worgs
dire wolves
lizardfolk

So, here's a table suitable for a 1-3 level party:

1-20 = 2d6 Goblins
21-30 = 1d6+2 Orcs
31-40 = NO ENCOUNTER
41-50 = 1d2 Bugbears
51-65 = 1d6+2 Hobgoblins
66-75 = 1d2 Worgs
76-80 = 1d2 Dire Wolves
81-90 = Friendly Encounter (Make seperate table)
91-95 = NPC Party Encounter (DMG has sample NPCs, jtake stats from there if you haven't got anything written up)
96-99 = 1d4 Lizardfolk
00 = Dragon! (because running away can be fun too)

Surely you can come up with tables for loot, etc yourself? Nothing will teach you to manage PnP gaming better than working with hand-written tables - computer aids will slow your development of good DMing IMO. They can be helpful in a huge battle... I once had a party fighting on a large shipyard, with detachments of townsfolk and mercenaries fighting four seperate boatloads of enemy mercenaries... then an 18th level Cleric of Velsharoon emerged from the sewers with an undead host to attack EVERYBODY. The players fought their way out of a ghoul-infested sewer, across the dockyard, onto one of the boats to slay an enemy commander, back into the melee,, into a thick wall of bog-zombies... and then everyone pretty much routed from the town because the undead force gained too much momentum. I had to keep track of a lot of stats... but seriously, learn to handle smaller encounters on paper first and things will be a lot faster and easier in the future. I still did most of that 'encounter' on paper.